Just about 25 percent of the 2025-2026 NBA regular season is complete. Look at us! Who would’ve thought? Not me. We’re officially in the thick of it. Injuries have dampened some of these games but they’ve also created opportunities for interesting storylines to develop.
Let’s get into it (read my prior week of observations here).
No. 1: The Phoenix Suns Are Good
According to Cleaning the Glass, there are only four teams with a top-10 offense and defense: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns.
I did not expect the 13-9 Suns to be this good. They’ve had some signature moments: a win over the Los Angeles Lakers while missing Devin Booker for three quarters, a nail-biter versus the 20-1 Thunder, a clutch comeback win over the Timberwolves and routs over the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.
They have everything you’d want in an entertaining basketball team.
A starting lineup that kills teams? Check. Of the 31 five-man lineups to play over 70 minutes together this season, the Suns starters rank fifth with a plus-14.9 net rating.
A new face making waves? Check. Point guard Collin Gillespie has earned the trust of head coach Jordan Ott, starting in three of their last five games and averaging 21.3 points, five assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 52 percent from three. He’s been one of the best bench shooters in the NBA, ranking among the top 10 in 3-point attempts per game (6.3) and percentage (41.7). He’s decisive as a ball-handler, ranking in the top 10 in bench assists.
Despite Jalen Green dealing with injuries, Dillon Brooks has stepped in to provide the offensive punch Phoenix needs, averaging a career-high 22.3 points per game.
The Suns are good, play hard and have an identity. They should be able to sustain their winning ways.
No. 2: Zach Edey Is The Big Key For Memphis
It seemed like all hope was lost for the Grizzlies’ season a couple of weeks ago. But Zach Edey, like Solomon Grundy, revived this team from the dead.
The Grizzlies are 5-3 since Edey returned to the lineup after missing the start of the year with an ankle injury. The Canadian big man is averaging a double-double with 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 67.2 percent from the floor and swatting 2.3 shots every night.
He put up a monstrous 32-point, 17-rebound, five-block effort in a win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. And while you might look at the teams the Grizzlies have beaten (the Kings twice, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers) and not be that impressed, these are the games they were losing without him.
It’s not just gaudy numbers and beating up on bad teams, though. The Grizzlies have a plus-37.1 net rating in the 202 minutes Edey has been on the floor. His impact is immense and it’s helping them turn their season around. He’s looked more comfortable as a scorer and more disciplined as a defender — the perfect player to pair with Ja Morant whenever the former All-Star returns from injury.
No. 3: Lucky Defenses Are Starting To Get Unlucky
There were a few units dealing with some lucky, Jedi mind trick 3-point defense to start the season. At this time last week, the Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors were among the top 10 in opponent 3-point attempts and bottom 10 in opponent 3-point percentage. They were allowing teams to take a lot of threes but teams weren’t making a lot of them.
Luck isn’t always involved in these cases. Sometimes, the quality and type of threats a defense is willing to concede matter. The Oklahoma City Thunder, for example, were near the top of the league last season in conceding corner threes. But they still dominated at every other aspect defensively. No one would tell you they were lucky.
Over the last two weeks, the Raptors, Nuggets and Bulls rank 25th, 26th and 21st, respectively, in opponents’ 3-point attempts. But teams are starting to hit their threes now.
In that same span, opponents are shooting 38 percent (20th) against the Nuggets, which have dropped from third to 16th in defensive rating. Opponents are shooting 35 percent (tied for 13th) against the Bulls, which have slipped from what was a top-five defense to 23rd now. The Raptors are still getting a little lucky, as teams are shooting just 32 percent against them, but the New York Knicks shot 36 percent in a blowout win over them on Sunday.
Let’s add some context, too. The Nuggets are missing Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, the two best defenders in their starting lineup, so some slippage is understandable. The Bulls are reintegrating Coby White, which brings its own defensive challenges. And the Raptors, which have dealt with a relatively easy schedule, are now entering a stretch that includes games against the Knicks (again), Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics.
No. 4: Cooper Flagg Is Figuring It Out
Don’t look now but the No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg, is finally starting to hoop. Many have echoed the fact Flagg needs to play next to guards and the Mavs have caught on. They’re playing him alongside Brandon Williams and D’Angelo Russell while rookie guard Ryan Nembhard has been inserted into the starting lineup the last three games.
Flagg, for his part, has put up his two best games of the season over the past few days. He logged 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three combined steals/blocks in a win Monday over the Nuggets after dropping a career-best 35 points and eight rebounds in a rout of the Clippers on Saturday.
He also just took home Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors, averaging 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists through October and November. He’s trending up and the Mavs’ context is starting to favor what he does best on both ends.
No. 5: Jaylen Brown’s Scoring
If you had questions about Jaylen Brown’s scoring coming into the season, he has quickly dispelled any skepticism. Brown is averaging a career-high 28.4 points per game (ninth in the NBA) on 49-35-75 shooting splits. He’s already had two 40-point games and eight games with 30 or more. The Celtics have the league’s fourth-best offense and are four points better offensively per 100 possessions with Brown on the floor.
Diving even deeper, Brown’s self-created midrange scoring has been wildly impressive. He leads the league in midrange attempts per game at 5.8 and is shooting a whopping 51.7 percent on them — better than the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, DeMar DeRozan, Brandon Ingram and Kevin Durant. He’s sixth in drives per game and among players in the top 10, his 55.3 percent shooting on those drives is No. 2.
It’s been an absurdly good start for Brown on offense. While the playmaking is still lacking (4.8 assists to 3.6 turnovers per game), it hasn’t mattered much because he’s consistently putting the ball in the basket.
